Essay on The Rwandan Genocide (1994) is published for informational purposes only. The free papers are not written by our writers, they are contributed by users, so we are not responsible for the content of this free sample paper. If you want to buy a quality Essay on Essay on The Rwandan Genocide (1994) at affordable prices please use our essay writing services offered by EssayEmpire.

The Rwandan Genocide was a massacre of an estimated 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus over a 100-day period in 1994. The genocide was an example of ethnic cleansing, as two Hutu groups attempted to kill or displace Rwanda's Tutsi minority. During the atrocities, the United States, other world powers, and the United Nations (UN) did little or nothing to stop the killing.

In 1993, the United States and France had sponsored peace negotiations between the Hutus and Tutsis, who were engaged in a civil war. The accords were unpopular with Hutu extremists, and they used the 6 April 1994 assassination of Rwandan president Juvenal Habyarimana as an excuse to launch an ethnic-cleansing campaign against their enemies. Western governments, including the administration of William J. Clinton, were aware of preparations by the Hutus, including an increase in the delivery of weapons from companies in France and Great Britain.

There was already a UN peacekeeping mission in the country, the UN Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR). UNAMIR consisted of about 2,500 troops (the Clinton administration rejected a 1993 request to increase the size of the mission to 5,000 out of concern that the United States might be obligated to financially contribute to the deployment). On 7 April 1994, 15 UNAMIR troops, 10 Belgians and 5 Ghanaians, were dispatched to protect the moderate Hutu prime minister, Agathe Uwilingiyimana. However, she was killed, along with her family and the UNAMIR troops (who had been tortured). The militias simultaneously targeted other moderate Hutu leaders and began attacking Tutsis. The UNAMIR commander, Canadian general Romeo Dallaire, requested more troops and equipment, but there was little support for an expanded mission within the UN Security Council. Dallaire requested permission for UNAMIR troops to use force to defend Tutsis, but his request was denied by then assistant secretary-general Kofi Annan, who feared that the militias might launch a broad campaign against the UN. Meanwhile, Belgium withdrew its 420 troops from UNAMIR once Belgian citizens had been evacuated, and on 21 April, the Security Council voted to reduce the size of UNAMIR to 250 troops and to limit its mandate in an effort to prevent the loss of additional peacekeepers.

On 29 April 1994, UN secretary-general Boutros Boutros-Ghali requested the Security Council to reconsider its decision and dispatch troops to stop the genocide. The Clinton administration offered to fund a peacekeeping force from the Organization of African Unity (OAU). However, the OAU heads of state requested the inclusion of American troops - which the Clinton administration rejected outright. . .

Free essays are not written to satisfy your specific instructions. You can order a term paper, research paper or custom TOPIC at our site which offers professional essay writing services. Get your high quality custom paper at relatively cheap prices. EssayEmpire is the best solution for those who seek help in essay writing related to TOPIC and other relevant topics.